Beleagured Babylon: The battle to save a wonder of the ancient world

[Judi Lynn]

The ancient city of Babylon in modern-day Iraq is fighting for its survival, under siege from time, water and the perils of modern civilisation. Jane Arraf hears from the archaeologists trying to preserve it

18 hours ago



Visitors walk towards a replica of the Gate of Ishtar at the archaeological site of ancient Babylon, about 50 miles south of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, on 14 November 2020

(AFP/Getty)

Ammar al-Taee, an Iraqi archaeologist, picks up a clay panel fallen from one of the ancient walls of Babylon. Paw prints of a dog that wandered onto the drying clay more than 2,000 years ago obscure part of the cuneiform inscription – a reminder that these ruins were once a living city.

“This is the heritage of Iraq, and we need to save it,” says al-Taee, 29.

As part of a new generation of archaeologists, al-Taee works for the Iraqi government on a World Monuments Fund project aimed at stemming the damage to one of the world’s best known – yet least understood – archaeological sites.

After years of Iraqi effort, Babylon was inscribed in July 2019 as a Unesco World Heritage Site, recognising the exceptional universal cultural value of what was considered the most dazzling metropolis in the ancient world.

A century ago, German archaeologists carted off the most significant parts of the city. A reconstructed Ishtar Gate using many of the original glazed tiles is a centrepiece of Berlin’s Pergamon Museum. Other pieces of Babylon’s walls were sold off to other institutions, including the Metropolitan Museum in New York.

More:
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/archaeology/ancient-babylon-iraq-archaeology-b1799289.html